Dead Sea mud is world-renowned for skin care, but I wasn’t sure how Dead Sea mud would fare in a shampoo. Little did I know, you can actually get mega-fabulous and mega-clean hair using a Dead Sea mud shampoo! It sounds counterintuitive, but it works.

My hair tends to be on the thin side with a little bit of wave to it, so I need all the lift and oomph I can get from a shampoo. Adovia Dead Sea Mud Shampoo delivered volume in spades. Many of my waves near my face actually turned into little ringlets, an effect I did not expect. After years of living with such flat, limp hair, it’s fantastic to find a product that actually provides all of the volume it promises, and then some.

My next favorite feature of this Adovia shampoo is its heavenly scent, which is kind of like a sweet perfume with baby powder notes. There is no earthy or mud-like smell, like you might be afraid of with a product containing so many natural ingredients. (It is not a 100 percent natural product, however.) The scent lasted on my hair even on the days I skipped a wash. (If you have thin hair like me, you often have to skip a day here and there to avoid stripping the natural oils from the hair and making it even flatter.)

In addition to volume and a gorgeous scent, my hair was shiny and moisturized. I had also been having dry scalp issues again when I received the shampoo in the mail, and I found instant relief on first use with this product; in less than a week, my scalp was balanced and normal again. I later discovered that individuals with psoriasis rave about the Adovia Shampoo and its efficacy when they are dealing with flare ups. The bottle says the shampoo is for people of all hair types, though, so you don’t need to suffer from dry scalp like I do to benefit from Adovia’s product.

All in all, my test was highly successful, and I plan to buy more Adovia Dead Sea Mud Shampoo when my bottle runs out–a sure sign of a winning product with valid benefits.

I ran into my local Ultain a complete rage a few months ago because of another frustrating flare up of my adult acne. I was on a rampage to find new products to help me clear up my face and I came home with a basket full of stuff, hoping at least one would help me.

This mud mask isn’t muddy at all; instead it’s a delightful pastel violet color with a smooth, liquid clay-like consistency–not grainy like a scrub (there is actually some kaolin clay included in the mask to help zap oil). The mask feels cooling and tingly, which is a sensation I enjoy when battling my oily pores–it makes me feel like I’m really achieving a victory.

Also, this is a great product for those sweaty summer days when you want to get uber-clean using bracing products that feel like ice to the skin–very refreshing. (If you have sensitive skin, however, this is not the product for you, and I advise you opt for a milder formula because this mask might make you feel too uncomfortable. But for people with normal to oily skin, this stuff feels fantastic.)

The mask also smells great, not at all medicinal or earthy. To me it smells like raspberries, although the packaging clearly indicates strawberry is included.

I have heard eating strawberries will help remove stains from the teeth, so it makes sense this clarifying mask would use strawberry as an ingredient to help clean dirt from the pores. Yarrow is known for its brightening and lightening effects, so it also makes sense for yarrow to be in this product.

This is one of those masks that you leave on until it dries. Every time you move a muscle in your face, you get that fun crackling feeling.

The mask is easy to rinse off with warm water and you won’t be left with a filmy residue on your face. When I rinse this mask off, my skin always feels really soft and clean.

While I cannot say this product is an acne fighter per se, it definitely helps to keep my face clear and clean, so it will remain in my adult acne arsenal. The manufacturer recommends using this one to three times per week.

Some bloggers claim this mask helps to temporarily reduce the size of pores, but I don’t usually squint that closely at myself, so I cannot tell if it has the same effect on me.

I’ll be using this mask all summer long, just because it feels so cooling and refreshing, and it smells so nice. I love the lavender color, too. Just a fun product all around.

There’s a line in an Everclearsong that goes “We drank that Mexican Beer, we ate that Mexican food”–and I understand the logic of that: a light Mexican lager or pilsner to go with spicy food.

However, that sells Mexican food a little short. Subtract the peppers, and you still have plenty of rich and fairly substantial foods–beans, meats, flatbreads, veggies and a whole bunch of cheeses.

In other words there are a lot of beers that could go with Mexican food much better than some light lager. In this instance, I’m going with–what else?–a nice amber lager, Flying Dog’s Old Scratch.

Flying Dog is a great brewerythat I’m very lucky to have so close by, so do expect more reviews of their stuff in the weeks to come. This one is not even their best offering and in many instances would be an unremarkable beer. Sometimes, however, it’s all about the pairings, and in this case Old Scratch works great with burritos.

The medium lager body works well against the starchy, fatty filling of a burrito, and the hoppy, semi-bitter finish fits well against the tangy tastes of cheeses and sour cream.

The carbonation is a little more present than in an ale, so that makes it a lot more crisp and light without missing the body that you need to stand up against the thousand or so calories in your average burrito– the result being that you’ll be satisfied with one or two instead of a six pack of watery lagers with lime added to create a flavor.

So, would I suggest it on its own? No way! Would I suggest it with a sandwich, like a BLT? No, I don’t think so. I also wouldn’t put it up against a really heavy shepherd’s pie, casserole or light salad. But with a burrito, chimichanga, or a few tamales? Old Scratch is just excellent!

I am a huge fan of my local handcrafted soap company Savage Soaps of Frederick, Maryland, and my favorite Savage Soaps product by far is their cocoa scented Chocolate Indulgence Body Wash. I am already working through my second bottle of the stuff, which is high praise from Miss Bubbles.

Chocolate Indulgence is definitely a body wash, not a bath gel, so a small amount in the palm of your hand foams up quickly and easily without being sticky or goopy; it is light and clean rinsing. Pour the bottle carefully so you don’t accidentally spill out too much.

Chocolate Indulgence can also be used as a bubble bath. I enjoy it as a bubble bath because I can actually still smell the chocolate scent after pouring it; the scents of other bubble bath products dissipate far too quickly. It makes sense that this body wash has an effective smell; the company owner is an aromatherapist, after all.

Another great feature is Chocolate Indulgence will not make your bathtub or shower stall slippery after use. I hate it when I take a relaxing bubble bath at night and then nearly give myself a heart attack by slipping in my tub the next morning, something I never have to worry about with this or any other Savage Soaps product.

This body wash also feels good to use because it supports a small business that handcrafts its small batches of bath and body products locally.

I encourage you to visit the cute little Savage Soaps retail location in historic Frederick, right across the street from the popular Church Street parking garage.

Hollywood stars and suburban fashionistas alike frequently tout their love of Smith’s Rosebud Salve–a multipurpose conditioning cream that soothes chapped lips, dry skin, and ragged cuticles–as a bath and body product “must have.” I am certainly one who fervently agrees: Smith’s classic salve is a multi-tasking staple that should be in every makeup and toiletry bag.

Therefore I was thrilled to learn earlier this week that Rosebud Perfume Company of Woodsboro, Maryland has released the newest variant of this popular product: Smith’s Rose and Mandarin Lip Balm, a deliciously scented concoction that soothes lips and skin with cotton seed oil.

Featured in a decorative orange and blue tin that will look adorable on any dressing table or bathroom countertop, the balm is tinted pink and slicks on easily without leaving a lot of residue on your fingertips, making it easy to apply when on the go.

The lip balm scent is a delightful mix of citrus spice and rose; the spice note distinguishes the balm from other orange scented products on the market, and mixing it with rose is a clever combination.

I’ve been using this lip balm all week to deal with my dry, flaky lips, and it just feels so soothing; now I understand how people get addicted to lip balm!